Nile Rodgers knew David Bowie had 'problems'

The Chic guitarist and a good friend of the 'Starman' hitmaker insists he was kept in the dark about David's illness but sensed something wasn't right when he struggled through an pre-recorded video message in 2011.

He said: "I didn't know David had liver cancer, but I knew he had problems back then.

"He sent a film for me and his speech was more deliberate than normal. Normally he speaks like you or I, and he's quite lucid. He speaks fast and he's brilliant and wonderful, but he really was quite deliberate in that film."

The 'Le Freak' hitmaker admits he was "completely stunned" by the news of David's death but when a close friend called to let him know, he feared it was his mother that had passed.

He added: "I thought they were talking about my mum and I got terrified.

"When I finally realised they were talking about David I was completely stunned. It's been surreal. There's a certain amount of denial that goes along with this."

Meanwhile, David was one of the first people to reach out to Nile when he announced he was battling with prostate cancer six years ago.

He told The Sun newspaper: "The first people who contacted me were Sting and David. He didn't give me advice, he was just reassuring. He admired my bravery in going public."